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Sunday, February 10, 2013

Winter From My Window

The view of the very north end of Lincoln Park is always changing. There is usually a steady stream of people - walking dogs, jogging, biking, sitting on benches. The lake beyond the park changes color and motion from minute to minute. But on this particular morning, no one was out and about - a random person would pass by every twenty minutes or so - and the lake was frozen stillness. The sky just melted into the lake, and there were no shadows. It was beautiful and peaceful, and I wanted to capture that feeling on paper, but I wasn't sure how to begin. Ultimately, I decided to try the pan pastels that I had recently purchased.

Sometimes, I think it helps to not know what you are doing! I just had fun with the pastels, on tinted blue pastel paper. I added in trees (not all of them - there are hundreds!) with a dark brown Micron pen. When I was finished, I sprayed the image with a fixative. Some time in the near future, I would like to sit closer to my window and do another piece from a different vantage point, adding in the highway below for a more urban feel.

3 comments:

This past weekend I drove through Long Grove, IL and, with all the snow they received piled up on the branches, it really did remind me of the beauty of winter--just like this wonderful sketch. Thanks for sharing Mary.

I love this, Mary! I have a pretty similar view (as you know), and yet it is different. And what makes it even more interesting is the interpretation through the other artist's eyes and media. Pan pastels were perfect for that day!

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Urban Sketchers is a network of artists around the world who draw the cities where they live and travel to. Our mission is to "Show the World, One Drawing at a Time." Visit our main blog at urban sketchers dot org for more information.

Sketchers who live in and near Chicago, IL in the United States share their drawings on this blog.

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1. We draw on location, indoors or out, capturing what we see from direct observation.
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